Century of football celebrated

FHSAA will release all-time team and all-time best players

fans to get their say

August 31, 2007|By Dave Brousseau Staff Writer

Leather helmets without face masks, dirt fields with wooden bleachers, Thanksgiving Day games, Soul Bowls, Muck Bowls, state championships. It's difficult to believe it's been 100 years of high school football in Florida.

Chances are slim there is anyone around to recall the beginnings of the sport in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Regardless, it was the cornerstone of where the game is today.

Friday night lights, state-of-the-art equipment, Lockhart Stadium. Some schools have stadium seating for their football fields.

Field Turf has been introduced, eliminating mole crickets as the enemy to real grass.

During the 2007 football season, the Florida High School Athletic Association will release the top 10 all-time teams as selected by the Florida Sports Writers Association.

A list of the all-time players will also be announced.

Currently under way is the selection of the "All-Time All-Florida Team" consisting of the greatest players by position in Florida high school history, including naming the greatest player and coach, as well as the selection of the greatest team to play in Florida.

Delray Beach Carver was the first team from Palm Beach County to win a state championship, while Hollywood Hills was the first from Broward.

"We Floridians disagree on a lot of things," said FHSAA Director of Communications Jack Watford.

"But there is one thing that I think we all agree on in this state, and that is the high school football played here is second to none in the nation."

Nominations are being submitted by sports media representatives from around the state.

Once all nominations are received, a screening committee will narrow the choices down to a final ballot.

Fans will be given the opportunity to weigh in on the selections by casting their votes on FHSAA Sports.com once the ballots are released.

"It has entertained and thrilled us for a 100 years and it just keeps getting better and better," Watford said. "That is due to the hard work and dedication of the nation's greatest group of high school student-athletes and coaches."

It's almost unthinkable how the game will evolve during the next 100 years.